Meet the Rapper Behind the Sickest Heisman Hype Video of 2015

COLUMBUS, Ohio — If you've attended an Ohio State football game during the Urban Meyer era, you're familiar with the music of Mekka Don.

Whether it was the 2012 anthem "Let's Go (O-H-I-O)," 2013's popular follow-up, "Juice," or the ode to last season's national title, "Undisputed," the Columbus-area rapper's tracks have served as the soundtrack for one of the most successful stretches in Buckeyes history.

Seemingly always upbeat and smiling, Mekka Don—whose real name is Chukwuemeka Onyejekwe—has been a fixture on the Ohio Stadium sideline for the past three seasons, his signature "Juice" snapback hat and t-shirt as easy to spot in the crowd as a replica Archie Griffin throwback jersey.

But while Mekka Don's music has been filling the stadium where he once spent his college career from the moment Meyer emerged from the southeast tunnel nearly three years ago, like any ambitious artist, he's always trying to evolve. And even for one who's clearly found his niche, it's never too late to enjoy a revelation.

That was exactly the position the 33-year-old Columbus native found himself in on Tuesday, when even by his high standards, he enjoyed one of the most successful days of his music career.

Releasing a Heisman Trophy hype song and video for Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott, Mekka Don became one of the top headline-makers in college football for the day, with the YouTube video for "ZEKE" accumulating more than 40,000 views in the first day alone.

"I didn't expect it to go viral the way it did," Mekka Don told Bleacher Report on Wednesday morning. "Not only that, but the journalists who were writing about it were actually writing about the quality of the song and the quality of the video.

"You generally don't see that. Usually they just post it and say what it is and maybe the story behind it. But they don't say, 'This is fire' or 'This is hot' or 'This is dope.' But they were saying that yesterday."

For Mekka Don, "ZEKE" was the product of his relationship with the Ohio State running back who took the college football world by storm with his 696 combined yards and eight total touchdowns in the Buckeyes' three postseason games at the end of last year. Elliott now enters 2015 as the front-runner to win the Heisman Trophy, with OddsShark listing him as a 6-1 favorite.

But while Ohio State isn't usually one to promote its own players for postseason awards until the end of the season, Mekka Don didn't have any issue keeping Elliott at the forefront of the conversation as college football enters its dog days of the offseason.

"I know people are still yearning for college football content of some sort, so now's just a good time to get it out there and see what happens," Mekka Don said. "Obviously I talked to the family first and Ezekiel first and I didn't want to put anything out there that they don't approve of or feel like is a bad representation in any way, and they gave me the go."

And as for the family's reaction upon first hearing the song?

"Stacy, the dad, was in tears. And the mom, I think she was the same way," Mekka Don said. "What's so unique about this—somebody told me this and I didn't really think of this—but they told me they didn't think this has ever been done before where somebody has their own personal song where the lyrics match what you're seeing in the video."

For Elliott, "ZEKE" is just the latest happening in an offseason that has seen him instantly become one of college football's biggest celebrities. But for Mekka Don, his latest song only helped him further understand his identity as an artist, which has been an ongoing process throughout his career.

After all, Onyejekwe's backstory isn't that of the stereotypical rapper, the son of Nigerian immigrants who starred in soccer at Columbus' St. Francis DeSales High School until a degenerative knee issue brought a premature end to his soccer career. Still able to run routes and catch, Onyejekwe gave football a try, with the Stallions' 1998 state title run giving him instant exposure.

Ultimately, Onyejekwe wound up with offers to attend several smaller schools on scholarship, but it was an invite to hometown Ohio State as a preferred walk-on that intrigued him the most. Onyejekwe played wide receiver and defensive back for the Buckeyes from 1999-2001, but he was hardly the caliber of player he now finds himself singing about.

"I was fast, but I wouldn't say I was a great player," Onyejekwe said. "I practiced hard, but you know when you're good enough and you're not and when you're just participating in something. Even in a pickup game, you can tell the difference. A lot of those guys where light years ahead of me in understanding the game."

Following his playing days, Onyejekwe pursued a career in law, graduating from the New York University School of Law in 2006 before obtaining a job as an associate attorney at the firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. His passion for music, however, ultimately won out over a short-lived, but promising, law career, as he decided to pursue his dream of becoming a rapper.

"It was the time. I was like, 'I gotta do it now' and that's just how I live my life," he said leaving law for music. "There was a lot of ridicule. There still is. People thinking I'm crazy for doing that."

After finding success as an independent artist, Mekka Don caught one of his biggest breaks when ESPN licensed a number of his songs to be played throughout the 2010 college football season. His mother, an Ohio State faculty member, soon set him up with former OSU president Gordon Gee to write Buckeye-specific songs, with "Let's Go (O-H-I-O)" debuting as an Ohio Stadium regular in 2012.

By that point, Mekka Don was already making a name for himself, a 2012 mtvU Freshman who had songs in regular rotation on Sirius Radio and VH1. His connection with Ohio State, however, would be what would ultimately shape his artistic identity, thanks to regular performances at Buckeyes basketball games and merchandise lining the shelves of Columbus stores.

"The majority of people, the presumption before they hear a sports song or theme song is that it sucks, because so many of the songs suck. It's really hard to make the songs and connect with everybody, and fanbases are so different," Mekka Don said. "It's not like you guarantee success."

Maybe not, but Mekka Don hasn't done bad for himself either, parlaying his Ohio State fame into a song licensing deal with the Cleveland Browns. An Ohio-inspired album in tribute to the Buckeyes' national title run is due out in the fall, with several guest appearances and samples from the Buckeye State's best expected to be featured.

But while Mekka Don's career moves as quickly as Elliott did through the Alabama defense in January, it was "ZEKE" that gave him a moment to sit back and reflect. For a rapper whose career has been so defined by following his dream, it wasn't until his most recent song that he realized his work is helping aid others do the same.

"I never necessarily realized that until yesterday really, when Zeke was giving me his reaction and his response," Mekka Don said. "Everybody kind of wants their own theme song. Everybody wants their own thing, even if it's just for the team that they are on or the company that they belong to. Something that feels personal to them. I didn't realize how exciting that is for people."

As for the future, Mekka Don is currently working on two albums, a video for "Juice" and has a number of licensing deals in the work for the fall. With his success, don't be surprised if his music expands beyond that of Ohio-based teams—after all, this is a business—but he's already vowed to avoid any conflicts of interest.

"Taking this broader and working with other entities," Mekka Don said of his future plans, before stopping himself. "Obviously, not rival entities."

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.